Author: staff

Published on 06/08/2026 – 16:52 GMT+2 Ceuta Mayor Juan Jesús Vivas has described the breach of the Spanish enclave’s border with Morocco as an “invasion” and demanded the immediate return of migrants still there after last week’s border incident. Vivas made the remarks in his testimony before the European Parliament’s Committee on Civil Liberties, Justice and Home Affairs on Thursday. The hearing was convened after roughly 80,000 migrants entered Ceuta by sea in what has been described as one of the largest migration crises in the EU’s history. The Spanish government declined its invitation to attend the session; the European…

Published on 06/08/2026 – 15:00 GMT+2•Updated 15:00 Meta launched its first coding agent, Muse Code, on Wednesday, as the company continues to invest heavily in AI services and models in order to better compete with rivals OpenAI and Anthropic. Muse Code will be accessible to developers via a pay-as-you-go option that will be priced similarly to the Muse Spark 1.1 release, which currently charges $4.25 per million tokens of output and $1.25 per million tokens in input. This will make it much easier for developers to build apps within a single user interface, even while simultaneously dealing with several AI-powered…

Published on 06/08/2026 – 16:08 GMT+2•Updated 16:08 British travellers are deciding against a foreign holiday this summer, with millions choosing a staycation instead, new research has revealed. According to data from consumer bank Chase, this year is all about the Great British “staycation summer”, as 22.5 million UK adults are set to holiday on home soil during the warmer months – a 40% increase from 2025. General travel search interest shows a similar pattern, with nationwide searches for “UK holiday ideas” up 50% year-on-year and “UK holiday rental” up 56%. Aside from airport stress, travel disruption and rising airfares, one…

Marketing can be a tricky business. Some movie posters get it right and spark trends. Others spark controversy and don’t make the cut. The latest to fall in the second category is the poster for Lee Cronin’s The Mummy, which will no longer be allowed to appear on the London Underground. The UK’s Advertising Standards Authority (ASA) revealed they received multiple complaints about the poster campaign, which features a close-up of a mummified child. The organisation ruled that the figure’s “sunken and lifeless” features gave “a realistic impression of a dead child”. They ruled that the posters must not appear…

“We do of course see that Russia attempts every day, in one way or another — through hybrid means and various measures — to exert influence here in Germany in a manner that seeks to undermine our democracy and erode trust in politics and politicians,” said Martin Giese, a foreign ministry spokesperson. Russian disinformation campaigns have portrayed German Chancellor Friedrich Merz and his government as warmongers. They aim to undermine the already unpopular chancellor and boost Russia-friendly forces such as the AfD and the far-left Sahra Wagenknecht Alliance (BSW) — both of which are strong in eastern Germany. “The state…

EU migration chief Magnus Brunner has called on MEPs to adopt a stalled EU law on fighting people smuggling, saying it could help prevent migration crises like the one in the Spanish territory of Ceuta last week. Speaking on Thursday, Brunner said the events in Ceuta “showed that there are actors who have no regard for the safety or even the lives, of innocent people,” but that nonetheless, “we cannot accept such a breach of integrity of our external borders and violation also of the security of of the Union – and in that regard, the impact of criminal smuggling…

Around 400 people displaced from Rome’s Spin Time building have been sleeping on the street after a fire forced them to leave the occupied property. Footage shows residents resting on camping beds, children playing in inflatable pools and volunteers providing meals and medical support during a heatwave. The former public office building has been occupied since 2013 by low-income families and individuals struggling with rising housing costs in the Italian capital. Police have blocked access to the building since the fire on 29 July, leaving residents waiting for a solution. Volunteer doctors say the heat and uncertainty are affecting vulnerable…

Published on 06/08/2026 – 15:08 GMT+2 Nigeria Advances Crypto Regulation Nigeria is taking significant steps to bring greater structure and oversight to Africa’s rapidly expanding cryptocurrency market. A proposed regulatory framework aims to increase transparency, strengthen investor confidence, and create an environment where innovation can flourish while ensuring consumer protection. The move is expected to support the continued growth of digital assets across the continent, particularly by improving the efficiency of cross-border payments—an area where blockchain technology has already demonstrated considerable potential. For businesses and individuals alike, faster and more affordable international transactions could unlock new opportunities for trade and…

Published on 06/08/2026 – 15:24 GMT+2 You’ve heard it. It’s so ubiquitous it would have been impossible not to. It’s a melody built around four notes, and it reappears in hit after hit, sticking in your ears like honey. Danish musicologist Carl Martin has dubbed it the “Gen Alpha melody”, so named because many of the songs featuring it were released during the 2010s. ‘APT.’ by Rosé and Bruno Mars. ‘One of Your Girls’ by Troye Sivan. ‘Ode to the Mets’ by The Strokes. Artists spanning genres as diverse as rock, pop and EDM – as well as musicians from…

Portuguese authorities have seized around five tonnes of cocaine from a cargo ship intercepted off the country’s coast. The ship, which had departed from South America, was boarded in a joint operation involving Portugal’s Judiciary Police, Air Force and Navy, with support from Britain’s National Crime Agency and Spain’s National Police. Most of the cocaine was found inside a shipping container, while the rest had been moved into the ship’s hold. Three foreign nationals — an Italian, a Colombian and an Indian citizen — were arrested. Authorities say Portugal has now seized around 28 tonnes of cocaine so far in…